Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-04-14
ALBANiANs.
Pec1liaritfes OF = Strange People Living IN
Southeastern Europe.

eecaliarities OF . Strange People Living In
Southeastern Europe.
Lord Byron, we believe, was the first
to introduce the wild Albanian to the
civilized western world. Lord Byron s
Albanian is a courteous, dignified gen.
tleman in a short white petticoat, with
bright sash, a brace of pistols, and a
yataghan, who is q member in good
standing in the Mohammedan church.
Then there are the Arnauts, the Alban-
ians of the hills, who have never obeyed
the laws of Turk, Roman or Greek, and
who fear no man. They are clad in
white homespun from head TO foot
white skull-cap, white jacket, white
trousers. lighted up with the scarlet of
his sash and the CLEAN of his pistols and
cartridge case. Sometimes they twist
a long scarf round the head and under
the chin, thus giving the effect of the
''shawl-girt head" of Byron's lines, but
always they shave the head. In the be-
nighted West a shaved head is iQdica-
tive of lunacy or fever; in the East,
however, it is supposed to give an air
of dauntless resolution to the counten-
ance. The dress of the women is I'M
gallantly described by travellers as hid
eous. 1t is said TO be of thick material
and shapeless; leather band eneircles
the waist. and usually a little black
cloak is thrown over the shoulders.
But the wearers are the most beautiful
women of Eastern Europe, and their
manners are always gracious.
Filtration is unknown. and even the
most decorous love-making is forbidden.
The proper thing is for the lover never
to see his intended till their marriage
day. She has been carefully secluded
in the recesses of her home till her par
ents think she is old enough to be mar
ried. Having arrived at this conclu-
sion, they announce the fact; if the
mere announcement is of no avail, they
adopt strong measures. The lady's
brother will politely come up to a
friend in the street, and pleasantly re-
mark: ''You are just the fellow
wanted to see. Ny sister is fourteen
years old; you must marry her." No
Albanian who respects himself rejects
the proposal of his friend; in fact. he
regards it as an honor, and knows that
Like other more Western mortals, he
may have a morbid curiosity regarding
his friends sisters personal appear
ance, and then he has recourse to the
inevitable old woman, the entrenlettexse
in the true sense. of the word, whose
profession is to intervene in such cases.
She calls on the bride, inspects her, and
then returns to the expectant SWAIN
with detailed account of the young
lady's qualities, of course coloring in
direct proportion to the fee she has re-
ceived. Then the wedding day is fixed,
and at last the happy pair are face to
face.
The etiquette of Albania requires the
bridegroom to be coy and reluctant; it
is considered degrading to his dignity
to affect any tenderness for the fair sex,
and therefore he is bound to offer
strong resistance to her approach. In
marked contradistinction to the usual
marriage ceremonies, which point to
the capture of the bride. the Albanian
customs indicate capture of the bride
groom, and yet the whole race displays
a degree of contempt for women which
is not found in the most barbarous ma
tons. 1t is worthy of remark also
in every family the males usually go to
the mosque, the females to church.
The country has always been the
wild nurse of savage men, the home of
warriors ready to fight for any cause.
or any leader who will pay them for
their wounds and their blood. Only
once in ancient history did they play
a conspicuous part, and that was when
Pyrrhus was their King. Once in mod
ern times thay have produced great
man, George Castriotes, who is known
to the world as Scanderbeg, and who
defeated Mohammed IL. the conqueror
of Constantinople, and kept his
mountain home free and independent
till his death. The name Albania
seems to have been given to the district
the old Epirus-during the later
period of the Greek Empire, when Al
banla reasserted her independence. and
the devastating hordes of
Bulgarians as gallantry as she after
ward opposed the Turks.-Harper's
Bazaar.